Matte finishes grab and hold oils and greases. There is zero way that a craft finish like that is suitable for kitchen use.

I have already paid the bill in full.

Here is a picture of the left-over piece with the grease stains after I tried cleaning.

" hand applied concrete finish and matt lacquer " ? do you have that written in a contract? did you ever receive a sample of that finished product? It sounds like a very atypical request. If nothing was in a contract with a waranty etc..and you never received a sample I think you might be on your own with the next steps. I would want to find out what was applied and whats on top and go from there . Work with those ??? what can be done? maybe paint? otherwise .... do your frames allow new doors to be attached ? option of new doors .

Thank you herbflavor for your comments. The cabinets were not something that I had custom created at a local cabinet maker. Attached are some pictures from the company's catalogs and the kitchen presentation made to me. These photos include language that states: "A protective lacquer coating makes this finish suitable for use in kitchens." "Matt-lacquer sealing ensures high durability." "Concrete sealed in Matt Lacquer."

If the concrete was "sealed in matt lacquer", it wouldn't be absorbing the grease. At least, that is what I believe.

That is a recipe for nothing but stains and immediate wear. A look like that is best done in a laminate or foil. Not the actual thing. :facepalm" Concrete is porous and textured, and is a completely ridiculous material to place in a kitchen. Just look at the massive amount of issues people have with concrete counters staining and etching. What marketing genius introduced that?

My goodness those must have been expensive. Too bad balance has been paid but you need to approach the showroom with your issues. At some point the only option is writing honest reviews of the product on every possible place. Sometimes that gets attention. From the outside these seem like a terrible idea clearly not ready for production.

Applying a skim coat of concrete/cement to a non keyed sealed surface will last until the first time something wet is spilled on it. Then it will all fall off. Because there is no real bond to the substrate. These people have never done stucco or plaster, to understand how or why that cementitious coatings behave.

Concrete is well known to be very susceptible to grease stains. Just hand and finger prints will show up as dark spots when touched. Add in grease spatters from daily use. And that is if it's sealed. The texture traps oils. If it isn't sealed, it gets gross, even faster.

To answer your question, Minardi, the manufacturer is Leicht, a german firm. Some cabinet makers also apply ground-up stone to cabinet faces.

For others reading this and wanting to order a unique finish ... first order a door sample and test it with standard kitchen food/oil spills ... before ordering a whole kitchen with it.

The cabinets are not missing anything. Nor are they defective. I’m afraid that the cabinets are behaving exactly as is the nature of a concrete finish to behave. It is a form over function choice.

I can only imagine the cost here. But in general - this material is wholly unsuitable for this application.

(and this is coming from someone with an entire freaking concrete house)...

Concrete is porous. I could imagine that proper sealing would take multiple coats. And then, the matte surface is going to be more prone to staining as greasy things tend to fill in the micro surface variations vs a shiny finish. It's why sometimes even sealed honed counters are difficult to keep looking uniform. The matte finish is higher maintenance, fussier and less durable.

(and also questioning my very cool matte finished car choice.... you can't scrub it or wax it, and I am sure my body shop guy would hate me if I scratched it...)

Your KD should be your advocate here, as well as the company rep.